cryptogryphon

Just so you know

2009-04-08T07:57:15Z

I'm not being anti-social, I just don't read LJ more than once a fortnight now I suspect. I'm castellan on Twitter which I'm liking more and more for its Spartan nature.

Gratuitous hawking

2009-01-15T14:33:52Z

I know but "Withnail and I" where I work (Cin. City) 5:50 Sunday 18th.

Meme cos I can't sleep

2008-12-18T00:44:01Z

1. Where did you begin 2008?
At home probably; I honestly can't remember, but it was probably unremarkable.

2. What was your status by Valentines Day?
This presumably means relationships - single.

3. Were you in school anytime this year?
2nd, 3rd year.

4. Did you have to go to the hospital?
Not for myself. I drove a few people to hospital

5. Did you have any encounters with the police?
No, I called the Fire Brigade out at work though.

6. Where did you go on vacation?
Parents.

7. What did you purchase that was over £100?
A car, a laptop for someone else, electricity and gas.

8. Did you know anybody who got married?
No, I don't think so.

9. Did you know anybody who passed away?
Yes, goodbye Amy, still miss you.

10. Did you move anywhere?
No, I have had an amazingly staid two and a half years. But I got back in practice for myself by helping some friends move over the Summer.

11. What sporting events did you attend?
Nothing.

12. What concerts/shows did you go to?
Missed Queensrÿche, so no.

13. Describe your birthday.
Google calendar says I had lunch with a friend, and went on a Gamessoc pubcrawl. I have no reason to disbelieve it.

14. What is the ONE thing you thought you would not do, but did, in 2008?
Pass my 2nd year.

15. What have been your favourite moments?
Boating down the Yare in a dinghy with my kids.
Picnics, quite a few.

16. Any new additions to your family?
No, that was the year before.

17. What was your best month?
August?

18. Who has been your best drinking buddy?
Not been doing a lot of drinking...me I suspect.

19. Made new friends?
Kind of.

20. Favorite Night out?
26th September - danced like an idiot with a very pretty girl.

21. Other than home, where did you spend most of your time?
Suffolk.

22. Have you lost any friends this year?
See 9.

23. Change your hairstyle?
No, growing it slightly longer though.

24. Have any car accidents?
Not really, banged a bollard.

25. How old did you turn this year?
39.

26. Do you have a New Year's resolution?
No.

27. Do anything embarrassing?
Innumerable.

28. Buy anything from eBay?
Yes 2 things, but I can't remember what. eBay doesn't keep listing info. that long.

29. Get married or divorced?
Yes actually my divorce was final this year.

30. Get hit on?
Er no, see Q.25

31. Been snowboarding?
Never.

32. Did you get sick this year?
No.

33. Are you happy to see 2008 go?
Mostly yes.

34. Been naughty or nice?
Industrious, but ineffective.

35. What are you looking forward to most in 2009?
Its boundless unknowability - its all very quantum.

Surviving

2008-12-17T22:41:18Z

I am feeling encouraged to post by you lot. Can't really explain, but if you read this, you have encouraged me retrospectively...somehow...eerie. I am also encouraged to post by the desire to vent about how terrible Survivors is. Now I happen to know that some people may be fans, and I hope we can still be friends, even if you don't think that, with the last episode, quality has dropped off the cliff in the screen writing. I can't write I know that, but I know stinkingly bad drama when I watch it. Gah!

I shall ignore for now, the tired old cliche of religious leaders being nutters. They don't need to be "revealed" as paranoid schizophrenics all along. I have lived a religious life; it is just plain nuts on its own. Don't be so bloody lazy, scriptwriters. (I lied when I said I'd ignore it.)

The thing that really gets my goat, is Survivors not surviving. I do not mean by this that they don't die, but that some should die or come close as they are forced to learn to survive. They sit around in a kitchen drinking tea, why isn't just one of them outside planting a row of potatoes? Just one; make them a moaning whinger, complaining that they'll thank him/her when all the tinned stuff is gone. (Another Note To Lazy Scriptwriters - there is no food on earth except honey that can be preserved indefinitely).

Why are the men shaving? Why are the women using hair-straigteners? When Anya snaps back into Doctor-mode, why doesn't she clear the room of goofy-looking spectators and organise the rota of people to watch mother and baby for at least 48 hours after the mother DIED! Even I know not to do chest compressions on a bed so soft you could see everyone jumping up and down like it was a bouncy castle. (This is a sporadically directionless rant if you hadn't already noticed - I make no apologies). Why has nobody gone to the county museum to loot Victorian machinery and handtools. You will need to wash clothes at some point, and a mangle, while risible, is worth looting. B&Q for handtools; libraries for books, agricultural suppliers for seedcorn before the rats eat it all.

Where are the rats? Where are the dogs? They didn't get flu. Current dog population is 7.8 million in the UK, lets assume that 75% die of starvation locked in peoples homes, no make that 90%, 780,000 dogs, swiftly reverting to pack behaviour and wanting food. The flu has killed at least 99% of people, so no more than 600,000 survivors (Wikipedia suggests 99.9% of pop.has been killed by flu, but I don't know if that is canon). Dogs now outnumber humans. You don't need autocrats and loony prophets; just surviving is going to be drama enough.

I don't ask that everyone be as autistically prepared as I am for apocalypse*, let some of them be stupid, deranged, or simply unable to face the reality that they are now living in the Middle-Ages, but have at least a few survivors amongst the Survivors.

*This is not arrogance, it merely represents the fact that I have had more post-apocalyptic nightmares during the days and nights of my life than any other; I am widely read in that genre of SF (probably as a result); and I have given it a lot of thought since I can remember, (as a young child I drew endless orthographic designs for armed and armoured bus/caravans for me and my family to ride out various world-ending disasters).

Torchwood

2008-11-07T17:16:53Z

Something of a Public Service Announcement here, as I like Torchwood, but would probably not consider myself a fanboy. Still people must know - Gareth David-Lloyd is going to be at the Televison & Movie Store (where my mate Agent Frankie works) on 6th Dec.

Best Name for a Publishing House Evar

2008-09-29T21:20:36Z

http://bookkake.com/

One o' them tha' memes

2008-09-25T03:00:39Z

I've seen it about for a while, but this was specifically stolen from

    * Put your music player on random.
    * Post the first line from the first 32 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song. Actually I did two as I didn't read the instructions closely enough, and also found that the song title made all or most of some songs lines.
    * Let everyone guess what song and artist the lines come from.
    * Bold the songs when someone guesses correctly.
    * Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is cheating, and in a few cases will not help you.

1.
Here I wanna be a stranger
Drift in and then out, just linger

2.
Unable so lost
I can't find my way

3.
{Laughter}
Ooh I like it
Tell me that you like it

4.
A wonderful place to be
The birds are singing

5.
A girl from our city went missing from her home
People left their houses people left their homes

6.
Well, show me the way
To the next whisky bar

7.
Stars live in the evening but the very young need the sun
[song title] you look so heavenly

8.
You don't remember me
But I remember you

9.
You weathered the storm
You came out the other side

10.
You!
I wanna take you to a [song title]

11.
Well I'm [song title]
Well I'm [song title]
Some people work very hard,
But still they never get it right.

12.
Lovechild
Sugar and spices scattered all around you

13.
All that you wanted
You won't aspire to be like me

14.
Yeah this one right here goes out to all the baby's mamas, mamas
Mamas, mamas, baby mamas, mamas

15.
Lick it once
Lick it twice

16.
[song title] x 8
I hear the sound of the ticking of clocks
Who remembers your face

17.
A heart that's full up like a landfill
A job that slowly kills you

18.
Yeah safe man, you ok?
Just calling to ensure you got back in

19.
You asked me so where have you been
Let me think now let me see

20.
[song title]
Don't desert me now
Bring me back to fallen town

21.
Little baby sweetly sleep
Do not stir

22.
This is the [song title]
We’re happy here in the [song title]

23.
I get a little bit vicious
That's why you love me

24.
You've done well my boy, my oh my
I bet you thought that you had won this time

25.
I'm so tired, of playing
Playing with this bow and arrow

26.
I'm in the phone booth, it's the one across the hall
If you don't answer, I'll just ring it off the wall

27.
Summer lovin' had me a blast
Summer lovin' happened so fast

28.
The lunatic is on the grass
The lunatic is on the grass

29.
[song title] in my skin
These wounds they will not heal

30.
I am a [song title]
Living like a [song title]

What have I learned?
Itunes randomization is shite.
I listen to a lot of instrumental music.
I couldn't be bothered to do 32.
It's 4am.
I really honestly do not remember acquiring a third of what's on here, and listened to it for the first time this just now.
Some of it is embarrassing.

I think I'm in love with Kristen Schaal

2008-09-10T02:47:34Z

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=3040728

I love you Stephen Fry

2008-08-30T14:41:30Z

"If your wife, mother or lover has a china ornament you have always hated, make sure it is within a 10-yard radius of the TV and you can be sure it will be smashed within a fortnight. Another Wii service for which we can all be truly thankful."

Best job-title evar...

2008-07-04T10:06:15Z

...would clearly involve working here.

All you ever need for...

2008-06-28T11:41:35Z

...creative writing. NaNoWriMo should be easy now :P

:(

2008-06-20T13:29:13Z

My bikes been stolen.

Best Company Name Evar!

2008-06-19T09:36:48Z

Stolen from somewhere on t'internet.

I have been tagged.

2008-06-14T06:16:52Z

by ai_wintermute
To participate, you grab any book, go to page 123, find the fifth sentence, and blog it. Then tag five people.

apparently 3 books is considered both gallant and urbane

"Why didn't their father let them out of the Dark Castle?"

The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson

'I am so sorry to have abandoned you so long,' Laurence said, leaning against his side and petting him, more for his own comfort than Temeraire's.

Temeraire - Naomi Novik (not hard to guess, I guess)

-And Brutus was Cæsar's son, adopted by him.

The Solitudes - John Crowley

All from my tottering, bedside to-be-read pile, so not all of them are all read.
I tag trivia_lad9000, aquarionical, stoogoff, rachelrayns, and lalajia 'cos we all need an old meme at 7am on a Saturday!

Simon Armitage becomes more my hero every day

2008-06-09T08:54:42Z

"I pulled out my phone, pushed one button, and in a couple of seconds I was talking to my wife. We were thousands of miles apart and connected by nothing other than excited atoms. Define the word miracle in a way that excludes the mobile phone, if you can."

I don't think this is a good thing, is it?

2008-06-08T22:47:42Z

As a 1930s husband, I am
Very Superior

Take the test!

Why I don't do dream journals

2008-05-30T11:34:52Z

http://xkcd.com/430/

What we need is a Neuromancer quote.

2008-05-18T23:09:15Z

"It's not like I'm using," Case heard someone say, as he shouldered his way through the crowd around the door of the Chat. "It's like my body's developed this massive drug deficiency." It was a Sprawl voice and a Sprawl joke.

Darn you Internets!

2008-05-17T23:01:14Z

And your timestealing ephemera.

Umm...I'm not sure what to feel now...

2008-05-16T14:07:59Z

I'm divorced; no longer married; not part of the team.

It is truly a sensation you cannot know without having done it.

Strange.

Good job I have iPlayer

2008-05-09T19:01:58Z

I have an Xbox360.
I recently moved it to the sitting-room (communal area in the flat) when a shiny, big, new tv arrived.
My flatmate discovers Xbox360.
My flatmate discovers the only game I have for Xbox360...Halo 3.

I don't get to watch tv anymore, and I suspect she is becoming a better sniper than me.

A gamer is born

2008-05-04T14:18:14Z

Son: "Dad?"
Me: "Yes."
Son: "Do you remember that night you took us to, with zombies and pizza?"
Me: "Yes."
Son: "That was the best night of my life."

go here..

2008-04-30T22:23:28Z

.. s'funny
http://www.aquarionics.com/journal/2008/04/30/Brown_cup_of_joy

Partly cos I haven't posted in a while, but mainly 'cos I like The Scaremongers

2008-04-24T23:44:55Z

The Sky-God

2008-04-11T16:17:34Z

is angered.